"The Strategic Plan identifies two primary goals for the Commission: (i) to ensure that rates, terms and conditions are just and reasonable and not unduly discriminatory or preferential and (ii) to promote the development of safe, reliable and efficient energy infrastructure that serves the public interest. These two goals are as important today as they were when Congress first established them in our enabling statutes last century. They have been my guiding principles since joining the Commission and will continue to be so.

As a proponent of competitive markets, I believe that the best means for the Commission to achieve the two primary goals identified in the Strategic Plan is to continue in its role as an independent wholesale energy regulator by developing rules and policies that allow all types of resources and infrastructure to compete fairly. Just as we should not adopt rules or policies that ignore the laws of supply and demand, we should not adopt rules or policies that ignore any type of energy resource or infrastructure. Likewise, our rules and policies should not favor one type of resource or infrastructure over another. If we are to achieve the two primary goals of the Strategic Plan, then the Commission's role should be to establish rules and policies that ensure all types of resources, whether they are natural gas, oil, hydro, nuclear, wind, solar or demand resources, have a full and fair opportunity to compete for the ultimate benefit of consumers.

I thank the staff for the presentation and I acknowledge the Chairman's and the staff's work in preparing the Plan."